'finding the heartbeat of the verse.'

                   ACTING CLUE: A heartbeat has 2 beats (de-DUM), called an 'iamb' (one unstressed syllable

                                               followed by a stressed syllable) making a metric foot.  In his verse, Shakespeare

                                               predominantly used iambic pentameter, or 5 metric feet of de-DUMs.  Knowing

                                               this, I always test a line with the heartbeat rhythm first.  If the words don't match

                                               the rhythm of de-DUM, de-DUM, de-DUM, de-DUM, de-DUM, Shakespeare wants

                                               you to take note!  He's used another type of metric rhythm (and there are 5 others)

                                               to get your attention about a new character, change of thought, change of emotion,

                                               contradiction in thought, etc., it's up to you to discover why.

                     EXAMPLE 1: "But SOFT! What LIGHT through YONder WINdow BREAKS?" 

                                                                                  --Iambic pentameter--        (Romeo & Juliet, Act II, sc.ii)

                     EXAMPLE 2: "DOUble, DOUble, TOIL and TROUble."

                                                                               --Trochaic Quadrimeter--   (Macbeth, Act IV, sc.i)

Separation -  a word ends with the same sound as the next one begins

                     ACTING CLUE: Don't run them together!  Chosen for a reason, each word deserves to be heard

                                                  separate from the other.  Separating the words forces you to emphasize each. 

                     EXAMPLE: "Simply I credit her false / speaking tongue..."  (Sonnet 138)

Word Length -  monosyllabic vs polysyllabic words

                     ACTING CLUE:  The length of words affects the rhythm and therefore your delivery of a line.

                                                   A line with all short, one syllable words has a different rhythm and delivery

                                                   to a line filled with long, mouth-fully words.  (Like Shakespeare, I, too,

                                                   shall make up words.)  If word length forces you to trip, slow down.

                      EXAMPLE 1: "The potent poison quite o'ercrows my spirit." (Hamlet, Act V, sc. ii)

                      EXAMPLE 2:  "To be, or not to be, that is the question..." (Hamlet, Act III, sc i)



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